


Bench Presses and Broken Dreams

by Yrindor



Series: Sports Anime Shipping Olympics 2016 Fills [22]
Category: Free!
Genre: Blind Nitori Aiichirou, Insecurity, M/M, Prompt Fill, SASO 2016, Yamazaki Sousuke's Shoulder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2016-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-15 19:07:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7234930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yrindor/pseuds/Yrindor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'll never be as strong as Rin-senpai," Nitori said quietly, the words escaping before he could catch himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bench Presses and Broken Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sports Anime Shipping Olympics Bonus Round 2. The prompt was [this image](https://i.imgur.com/tU6XmYt.jpg) (Nitori bench pressing with Sousuke spotting him).

"Last set, Ai, you've got this," Sousuke said encouragingly. They were at the gym with the rest of the Samezuka team, and Nitori was exhausted. Almost done, he thought to himself. One more set of bench presses before he was done for the day, and then he could finally go back and take a well-earned shower. He listened to the sounds in the gym around him, and to his own ragged breathing, while he waited for Sousuke to finish adjusting the weights.

"Ready when you are," Sousuke said a few seconds later. "Seven reps and you're done."

Nitori reached up, fingers curling around the rough metal of the bar. He kept toying with the idea of getting a pair of gloves to protect his hands, but on some level he didn't feel like he'd earned that yet, not when he knew he wasn't lifting nearly as much as the rest of the team.

He cut off that train of thought; it wouldn't do him any good right now. Instead, he forced himself to focus on what he was doing, on the weight of the bar as Sousuke helped him get it into position, and then on the familiar burn in his muscles as he wrestled it down. And up. And down again.

The first four repetitions went smoothly, but on the fifth, he couldn't help but notice Rin's harsh exhalations as he finished a set of his own, three full reps already in the time it had taken Nitori to struggle through half of one of his own. And then the deep clang of a bar far heavier than Nitori would ever dare try setting back down on the rack.

His concentration faltered, and in that moment, his arms started wobbling dangerously. He tried and failed to regain control, but before he could call out, Sousuke grabbed hold, his large hands warm next to Nitori's as he helped guide the bar back to its place.

"I'll never be as strong as Rin-senpai," Nitori said quietly, the words escaping before he could catch himself.

Above him, Sousuke made a sad half-sound and squeezed his hands tightly.

"Senpai?" Nitori asked into the silence that followed. Then, more quietly when he received no reply, "Sousuke?"

"That's not what matters, Ai. It helps, but when it comes down to it, physical strength's not what's going to win a race. What really makes the difference is the strength you have here." He tapped Nitori on the chest over his heart. "I used to think physical strength was what mattered, and all that gained me was a ruined shoulder. In the end, it's the person who can find the strength in themselves to keep pushing for that last length even when they're exhausted and behind and don't think they can who wins, not the person who can do one more set at the gym…You already have that, Ai; I don't want you to make the same mistake I did…I don't want to see you get hurt," Sousuke said, still holding Nitori's hands.

"I'll try, senpai," Nitori promised

In the silence that followed, Nitori felt Sousuke's fingers drawing on the back of his hand, sketching out the same character they always did when Sousuke thought no one else would notice. _Ai_. Love. It was the beginning of his name, but more than that it was a declaration, a promise that he both loved and was loved. He loved Sousuke. He loved swimming. He loved the rest of the team, and in their own way, they all loved him.

He adjusted his grip on the bar. "I'm ready," he said.

"Three more," Sousuke said as he helped Nitori lift the bar into the proper position.

The bar was still heavy, but Nitori didn't think about that. He thought about Sousuke, and Rin, and the rest of the team, and how happy he was to be a part of that, and he wrestled the weight through his last three repetitions with a new sense of determination.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and feedback welcome and appreciated.


End file.
